Giving Back: Andrea Chahin of TOMS Shoes

CAUSE: Through the TOMS Shoes Giving Program, seventeen-year-old Andrea Chahin distributes shoes to children in orphanages and elementary schools near her home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Sixty-five percent of Hondurans live below the poverty line, and Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America. Andrea reached out to the TOMS Giving Program and established a multi-year partnership that allows her to give TOMS shoes to children as they grow.

EFFECT: Andrea has helped bring thousands of pairs of new shoes to children in Honduras (watch a video here). TOMS Giving Partners, such as Andrea, help TOMS identify communities that need shoes, order the specific sizes that children need, and help keep children healthy and in school. New shoes do not only alleviate a financial burden, they also help raise a child's self-esteem. Since shoes are mandatory to attend school, a pair of TOMS can be the deciding factor in a child's education.

GET INVOLVED: Join the TOMS movement by purchasing a pair of shoes and TOMS will give a pair to a child in need. Or find an organization in your area and help children in need.

This teen works with TOMS shoes to help children in need in her home of Honduras.

"I first learned about TOMS while reading about Blake Mycoskie in The Handbook. There was an article that described TOMS One for One movement and how children in many countries around the world receive shoes for every pair that TOMS sells. I saw that Honduras wasn't one the countries receiving shoes, and I sent an email to TOMS requesting that Honduran children be included."

"The TOMS Giving Department responded to my email and suggested I work with a local humanitarian organization to prepare a TOMS Giving Partner proposal. My mother is the Volunteer Ecutive Director of Hogar de Niños Enmanuel, an orphanage in Honduras that provides a home to 80 at-risk children. We sat down and began to work out a plan that would allow the orphanage to distribute TOMS shoes. After a long application process, Hogar de Niños Enmanuel became a TOMS Shoe Giving Partner in 2010."

"Hogar de Niños' TOMS Shoe giving program is called Caminando Con Amor (Walking with Love). The giving team is made up of Hogar de Niños staff and youth from Hogar ranging from ages twelve to nineteen. We start by identifying the most vulnerable local public schools and orphanages, and then register the children and their shoe sizes in the program. When we visit the schools, we fit all of the children with a new pair of TOMS and tell them that they are now Chicos TOMS (TOMS kids). With their shoes comes the responsibility to do well in school, respect themselves and others, and make a positive difference in their neighborhoods and communities. I also explain to them how I was able to make my dream of giving shoes to people in Honduras a reality. We challenge them to dream as well."

"In Honduras, public schools require that the students wear a uniform that includes a pair of black shoes—something many children here do not own. Also, some of the children have to walk miles to get to school every day. I've learned how important education is in the development of a country. But how is it possible for my country to ever be developed if our children can't even get to school?"

"Growing up in a developing country, I have been surrounded by heartbreaking poverty. Spending time at the orphanage that my mother oversees made me realize how easy it is to make a difference in the life of a child in need. I also began to realize how privileged I was to have economic stability in an impoverished country like Honduras. Don't feel that you have to 'grow up' before you can make a difference in the world. No matter your age or gender, you can make a positive difference in the lives of those around you. Inspire your friends to join in your efforts. Make it fun and make it matter."